Smoked Tuna Dip

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 t. grated lemon zest, plus 2 t. fresh lemon juice, divided, plus lemon wedges for serving

2 T. minced shallot

2 T. chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

2 T. drained nonpareil capers, coarsely chopped 

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

4 2.5-oz. packages smoked tuna (such as Bumble Bee), drained*

Fresh flat-leaf parsley

Assorted crackers (Saltines and Captain's Wafers)

Hot sauce

Whisk together cream cheese and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Stir in lemon zest, shallot, chives, capers, salt, and pepper. Stir in half of tuna until well combined. Fold in remaining tuna until just combined, leaving it a little chunky.

Transfer tuna mixture to a small serving bowl; garnish with chives and parsley. Serve with crackers, hot sauce, and lemon wedges.

Serves 8.

*If smoked tuna isn't available, add a dash of liquid smoke to regular packaged tuna. 

Adapted from Southern Living magazine, June-July 2025, p.100.  

Arugula & Cucumber Salad with Tuna

3 T. chopped fresh basil

1 T. white wine vinegar

1-1/2 t. lemon juice

1/2  t. salt

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 c. thinly sliced celery

3/4 c. thinly sliced Persian or English cucumber

5 oz. baby arugula

8 pitted Castelvetrano olives, quartered

2 (6.7-oz.) packages no-salt-added tuna filets in water, drained

Whisk basil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt together in a large bowl. Add oil and whisk to combine. Add celery, cucumber, arugula, and olives; toss to coat.

Divide salad among 4 bowls. Flake tuna on top of each bowl.

Serves 4.

Adapted from 5 Ingredients, 15 Minutes, page 25.  

  

Tuna, Chickpea & Cherry Tomato Salad

1 6-oz jar tuna in olive oil

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1-1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 c. green olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

3 T. fresh lemon juice

1 c. pita chips, broken into 1" pieces

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

5 oz. baby arugula

Drain tuna, reserving oil. Flake tuna into 3/4" pieces. Place in a large bowl and add chickpeas, tomatoes, feta, olives, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

Pour reserved oil from tuna through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Whisk in lemon juice until bright yellow and emulsified, about 1 minute. Drizzle over tuna mixture; stir to combine. Gently stir in pita chips and parsley.

Serve over arugula.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Real Simple magazine, April 2023, p. 104.

Tuna and White Bean Pasta Salad

1 lb. uncooked penne

1/2 c. olive oil, plus more for serving

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 15-oz. can low-sodium cannelini beans, drained and rinsed, divided

1-1/2 t. kosher salt, divided, plus more for water

1 c. thinly sliced celery 

1 c. chopped celery leaves, plus more for garnish

1 c. roughly chopped pitted Castelvetrano olives

1 T. finely chopped fresh sage

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper plus more for serving

1 7-oz. jar tuna fillets in olive oil, drained

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain; transfer to a large bowl.

While pasta cooks, place oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, about half of the beans, and 3/4 t. salt in a blender. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds.

Stir three-quarters of the mayonnaise dressing (about 1 cup) into the hot pasta in the bowl. Let pasta mixture cool, tossing occasionally, to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Add remaining dressing to pasta mixture. Stir in sliced celery, olives, sage, pepper, remaining beans, and remaining 3/4 t. salt. Fold in celery leaves and tuna, without breaking up tuna too much. Transfer to a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with celery leaves and additional pepper.

Serves 8.

Adapted from Real Simple magazine, July 2020, p. 92. 

Tuscan Tuna Salad

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil or salad oil, or a combination
3 T. fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. dried rosemary, crushed, or 6 t. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 15-oz. can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 12-oz. can solid white tuna in water, drained*

Whisk together oils, lemon juice, garlic, and rosemary. Add beans, tomatoes, parsley, and tuna. Toss gently. Serve with lemon wedges.

*Also delicious without the tuna.

Serves 6.

Source unknown. 

Pasta Salad with Tuna Sauce

12 oz. tri-colored pasta
1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. salad oil
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. tomato catsup
1 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
7 oz. can tuna, drained
1 bunch green onions
2 T. chopped fresh dill

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

Mix together oils, vinegar, catsup, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Toss with pasta. Stir in tuna, green onions, and dill. Chill overnight.

Source unknown. 

Tuna and Black Beans with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

1 5-oz. can Bumble Bee solid white tuna in water, drained and chunked
1 c. cooked quinoa
1/2 t. cumin
1 c. cooked black beans, drained and warmed
1/2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. kale, destemmed and roughly chopped
2 c. portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 t. red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/2 c. loosely packed fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 small cucumber, peeled
3 limes (2 for juice, 1 for garnish)
1 T. sugar
2 tomatillos, depapered
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/2 ripe avocado
Dash of salt

Toss quinoa with cumin and black beans in the bottom of 4 bowls. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add garlic, kale, mushrooms, and red pepper flakes, stirring to cook until wilted and soft, about 7-8 minutes. Scoop a portion into each bowl on top of black beans. Add tuna on top of kale mixture.

In a blender or food processor, combine cilantro, garlic, cucumber, juice of 2 limes, sugar, tomatillos, vinegar, avocado, and salt. Puree until smooth. Pour mixture over each bowl evenly. Cut the remaining lime into wedges and garnish.

Serves 4.

From Bumble Bee tuna advertisement, Real Simple magazine, Apr. 2016, p. 198. 

Tuna Supreme

1 sourdough sandwich roll
Tuna in water
Chopped green onions
Lettuce
Thinly sliced cucumber
Black olives, sliced or in paste
Lemon Herb dressing or other Greek dressing

Split roll. Drain tuna well and chunk up on roll. Sprinkle with green onions. Top with lettuce, cucumber, olives, and dressing.

Serves 1.

My own creation.

Linguini with Tuna [in Red Sauce]

1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small hot pepper, minced, or a pinch of crushed red pepper
3 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. linguini
1 (5-oz.) can Italian tuna packed in olive oil
Freshly grated Pecorino, for serving (optional)

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a bowl and crush the tomatoes.

Spoon the oil into a big skillet, large enough to hold all the pasta once it's cooked. Add the garlic and hot pepper and cook over medium heat until the garlic is very lightly colored. Add the parsley and let it sizzle for about 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down so the sauce cooks at a steady, active simmer.

Once the water boils, salt it well and add the linguini. Stir the pasta right away and continue to stir once in a while as it boils.

Drain the tuna and stir it into the sauce.

When the linguini is cooked just shy of al dente, ladle out about a cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Turn the heat to high and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, tossing, and adding past water if needed to loosen the sauce a bit, about 1 minute. Don't go overboard with the pasta water; you're not making soup.

Serve immediately. Pass the grated Pecorino if you're not afraid of violating one of the cardinal rules of Italian cooking - the one about not serving cheese with fish pasta.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Tasty cookbook, p. 168.